Do Friend Support and Strain Moderate the Association Between Physical Limitations and Older Adults' Depressive Symptoms?

Stress theories propose that the mental health consequences of physical health problems are buffered by social support and amplified by relationship strain, yet it is unclear how older adults' friendships moderate these associations. Using data from 2016 and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement S...

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Publicado en:Research on Aging Vol. 48; no. 9/10; pp. 444 - 458
Autores principales: Carr, Deborah, Choi, Shinae L.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Oct-Dec2026
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct-Dec2026
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      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
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        atl: Do Friend Support and Strain Moderate the Association Between Physical Limitations and Older Adults' Depressive Symptoms?
      aug:
        au:
          Carr, Deborah
          Choi, Shinae L.
        affil:
          Department of Sociology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
          Department of Consumer Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
      su:
        Public health surveillance
        Task performance
        Mental health
        Self-efficacy
        Loneliness
        Chronic diseases
        Psychological stress
        Quality of life
        Marital status
        Social support
        Interpersonal relations
        Family support
        Attribution (Social psychology)
        Psychological tests
        Friendship
        Activities of daily living
        Mental depression
        Social isolation
        Psychosocial factors
        Old age
        Research funding
        Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
        Questionnaires
        Multiple regression analysis
        Movement disorders
        Descriptive statistics
        Multivariate analysis
        Chi-squared test
        Longitudinal method
        One-way analysis of variance
        Data analysis software
        Body movement
        Physical activity
      sug:
        subj:
          Public health surveillance
          Task performance
          Mental health
          Self-efficacy
          Loneliness
          Chronic diseases
          Psychological stress
          Quality of life
          Marital status
          Social support
          Interpersonal relations
          Family support
          Attribution (Social psychology)
          Psychological tests
          Friendship
          Activities of daily living
          Mental depression
          Social isolation
          Psychosocial factors
          Old age
          Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)
          Other Individual and Family Services
          Research funding
          Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
          Questionnaires
          Multiple regression analysis
          Movement disorders
          Descriptive statistics
          Multivariate analysis
          Chi-squared test
          Longitudinal method
          One-way analysis of variance
          Data analysis software
          Body movement
          Physical activity
      keyword:
        depressive symptoms
        friendship
        gender
        physical limitations
        social strain
        social support
        depressive symptoms
        friendship
        gender
        physical limitations
        social strain
        social support
      ab: Stress theories propose that the mental health consequences of physical health problems are buffered by social support and amplified by relationship strain, yet it is unclear how older adults' friendships moderate these associations. Using data from 2016 and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 8,558), we evaluate whether associations between number of physical limitations and depressive symptoms (CES-D) are moderated by friend support and strain, and whether these patterns differ by gender and partnership status. Multivariable OLS regressions show friend strain amplifies and friend support mutes the association between having 3+ physical limitations and depressive symptoms. Protective effects of friend support are larger for unpartnered versus partnered persons, although patterns do not differ by gender. The egalitarian nature of supportive friendships may make them particularly protective for older adults with physical limitations. Health problems may undermine equity in friendships, intensifying the psychological consequences of friend strain.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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